Post-harvest grain waste is severe, and reducing grain loss cannot be ignored

When it comes to grain waste, people's attention mostly focuses on the “visible waste” at the dining table and rarely pays attention to losses in the various links after grain production. In the post-production links alone, China loses more than 70 billion jin of grain a year, close to 6% of China's total grain output, equivalent to the annual grain output of Jilin Province, a major grain-producing province, and grain loss has become an important factor affecting China's food security.

According to surveys, post-harvest grain loss is mainly reflected in four aspects: First, many omissions in mechanical harvesting. Sometimes corn has low moisture content, and the kernels are relatively dry and brittle, so corn kernels easily fall off when corn cobs are harvested mechanically. When corn lodging occurs, some corn cobs are also left behind, and such losses are considerable every year. Second, storage: rats eating it, mildew, and fire. During interviews in rural areas of some parts of Changzhi, the author found that many farmers still store grain by directly piling it on the ground, which not only causes waste but also very easily leads to mildew. Chen Fengxiang, a farmer in Huguan County, said: “We also have a headache over this. Rats eat it, the ground gets damp, and no matter how careful we are, there is still loss.” Third, transportation: leakage losses are difficult to count. During interviews, the author learned that some grain purchasing and storage enterprises, due to simple storage facilities and outdated transportation methods, not only increase the risk of grain storage but also restrict the transfer and allocation of grain, increasing grain loss in circulation. Fourth, processing: excessive processing causes waste. As the economic level rises, when people buy rice, they require not only taste but also appearance. Most rice is polished, even polished multiple times. But each polishing removes a layer from the rice, reducing the rice yield. Excessive grain processing not only lowers nutrition but also increases production costs.

There are multiple reasons why post-harvest grain loss is severe in China. To reduce grain loss, we cannot focus only on increasing sources while ignoring reducing losses, nor can we focus only on the dining table while ignoring waste in storage and processing, and even less can we focus only on hardware investment while ignoring institutional development.

First, awareness of cherishing grain and saving grain must be strengthened. At present, publicity on cherishing grain and saving grain is mostly carried out around time points such as “World Food Day” or “Grain Love and Grain Saving Publicity Week.” It is infrequent and shallow, and lacks targeted education and criticism of people and matters that waste grain recklessly.

Second, grain prices must be straightened out. At present, China's bulk agricultural products, mainly grain, have entered an era of high prices, but grain prices are still obviously low. When grain prices are so low that they do not conform to economic laws, this is bound to affect farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain and the establishment of awareness of saving grain.

In addition, both funding input and institutional development must be grasped. A modern grain logistics system must be built, bulk grain transportation must be vigorously promoted, and advanced and practical storage, loading and unloading, transportation technologies and equipment must be promoted to effectively reduce grain logistics losses. Technical support and funding input for scientific grain growing, storage, transportation, and processing must be increased, farmers' grain storage conditions must be improved, technologies suitable for farmers' grain storage must be researched and developed, the development of the grain circulation system must be accelerated, and transportation losses must be reduced. Research on scientific grain storage must be carried out, concepts of grain storage must be changed, the current situation of extensive management must be changed, and new grain storage models such as grain banks must be developed faster. The upgrading of grain reserve management toward modernization, green grain storage, and intelligent management must be accelerated.